1. Summit Commentary
Sashidananda Murthy writes in The Week that, during the Agra summit, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf presented Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee with a long list of demands on Kashmir, from recognition of Kashmir as the core issue and APHC participation in talks to the release of militants from Kashmiri jails. Vajpayee attempted to focus on issues such as trade and nuclear weapons, but Musharraf, reports the Indian delegation, threatened increased pressure on India in Kashmir if India did not accept Kashmir as the core issue. The Indian delegation managed to expand the agenda to three issues, including security and Confidence-Building Measures, Kashmir, and drugs and terrorism. Pakistan objected to the use of the term "cross-border" to describe the terrorism, reportedly stating, "Anyway you have to call it cross-Line of Control and that is part of the Kashmir issue." Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar also refused to include references to the Shimla and Lahore declarations unless India made concessions on Kashmir.
"Romance & separation"
Pakistani politicians expressed that they had expected the Agra summit to fail. Mawabzada Nasrullah Khan, a leader of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, said, "This result does not come as a surprise," but indicated that the failure to reach an agreement would cause disappointment in Indian and resentment in Pakistan.
"Summit's failure was expected: politicians"
However, several analysts saw success in the ability of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee to sit across the table from each other and discuss their bilateral relations. Jasjit Singh, Director of the Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis, said that while there may not have been an agreement from the summit, "We can not ignore that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had more than 10 hours of one to one talks." Singh added, "The issues on discussion have been there for more than 54 years and one can not expect a solution to such complex issues in a day or two." Analysts also expressed that the summit successfully reinforced Musharraf's political position in Pakistan.
"Agra summit not a failure, say analysts"
Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar stated that the Agra summit was not a failure. He said that the two countries were twice close to agreeing to a final statement, but that he believed an agreement could be signed at the next meeting of the two leaders. Sattar expressed his hope that India would allow the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference to visit Pakistan for consultations soon. He also said that the Indian government prevented Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf from holding a press conference before his departure from Agra.
"Pak-India summit not a failure"